Areas of Interest in Hamburg

For art lovers the Kunstmeile is a must. This is a mile long stretch of road that houses the most popular art houses in Hamburg. Situated in the heart of the city centre, the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe and the Freie Akadaemie der Kuenste can be found here. The Deichtorhallen and Hamburger Kunsthalle are located at each end or the road and art from the early ages right up to present is on display. 

To experience a good overview of Huamburg at it's finest try one of the many river and harbour cruises departing from Landungsbrucken.  Alster-Touristik runs a fleet of ferries taking a 50 minute route along the Alster from Jungfernstieg to Winterhuder stopping off at ten jetties on the way.

The Church of St Nicholas was built in 1874 and was devastated during the second world war. The spire survived and remains one of Europe's tallest church structures.  A lift carries visitors up the spire for panoramic views of the docks.

The Innenstadt or inner city is a vibrant shopping centre with small specialist shops to large modern department stores.  The main shopping streets are Jungfernstieg and Monckebergstrasse although this are mainly chain high street stores.  For something different there are smaller shops on Lange Reihe including alternative bookshops and ethnic supermarkets.

Eating Out in Hamburg

The are plenty of good restaurants in Hamburg and the area along the canal is most popular and has some fine restaurants including Michelin star establishments.

Das Kleine Rote is a small but hugely popular Michelin star restaurant.  The menu offers local and French dishes but a table reservation is usually needed.  Strohlampe is also popular with the locals serving Mediterranean cuisine with Spanish flare and the prices are reasonable.

Most of Hamburg's medieval streets were destroyed during the Second World War.  Within one of the surviving alleyways is one of Hamburg's atmospheric restaurants the Zu den alten Krameramtstuben.  The building was original built in 1620 but since 1974 has been a cosy place to eat and drink.  The menu offers classic local dishes such as Labskaus, corned beef hash, herrings, beetroot, onion, gherkin and mashed potato with a friend egg on top.

Nightlife in Hamburg

The old wharf is being redeveloped and transformed thought to become Germany's answer to London's Docklands.  The area has already become a great place to drink amongst the changing scenes.  Oberhafen Kantine is a traditional North German bar and worth a visit for the emphasis on friendly informality rather than flashy food or décor.

OstWest is a perfect spot for cocktails and long drinks.  Although office workers bustle through the doors during the week at the weekend if offers good value brunches ofr locals and tourists alike.  Amaranto is small bar which is also popular at the end of the day with local office workers.  Tapas are on offer with a wide variety of drink combinations and a good wine cellar.

Local Information

A Hamburg card allows free public transport as well as reduced admission to many museums and attractions and even some restaurants.  It is sold at the Airport tourist office and cities main office at the Hauptbanhof.

Further Afield from Hamburg

The medieval town of Stade lies on an island by the River Elbe. The Altstadt or old town is a labyrinth of tiny streets lined with fachwerk (half-timbered) buildings. This picturesque town is a step back in time and a welcome pause from the bustle of city life
back in Hamburg.

From Airport to the City of Hamburg

There is an airport express shuttle service which operates a frequently run service, from the airport terminal building to the main Hauptbahnhof station in the city centre, about €4.50 single and €6.50 return. There is also a local airport bus service, which operates from the airport to the main airport train station where passengers can continue their journey into the city centre or further afield. This costs about €2.

There are always numerous taxi's parked outside the main arrivals terminal.  The journey to the city centre takes about 20 minutes and costs about €18.  The main train lines S1, S11 overland and U1 underground run from the nearby station of Ohlsdorf to the city centre.